Woman gang-raped by two auto drivers in East Delhi

A 21-year-old woman, who was accompanied by her two-year-old daughter, was allegedly raped by two autorickshaw drivers at a secluded spot in East Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar area after one of them picked her up from New Delhi railway station.

The accused, Pradeep and Abhishek, were arrested on Friday night, said a senior police officer.

The woman was travelling from Ludhiana to Lucknow and deboarded a train at New Delhi Railway station yesterday morning. She was to take another train to Lucknow. One of the auto drivers, Abhishek, told her that the train to Lucknow leaves from Anand Vihar station.

Abhishek signalled Pradeep to follow his auto. When Pradeep reached near Laxmi Nagar, he threatened the woman and took her to a desolate spot where he was joined by Abhishek, said the officer.

They gagged her daughter and took turns to rape her, said the officer. The woman came back to New Delhi railway station and filed a case. The accused drivers were arrested late in the night and it was found that they were driving without licence, police said.

The owner of the autos that the duo used to drive has also been called for questioning, police said. Members of Delhi Autorickshaw Union on Saturday met the DCP (Railways) and sought action against auto drivers who ply without valid licences from railway stations.

“We condemn such an incident as it brings a bad name to our community. We met the DCP (Railways) today and asked him to initiate a drive across all railway stations in the capital to check whether the auto drivers are plying with valid driving licence,” Rajendra Soni, the general secretary of Delhi Autorickshaw Union, said.